Why chilling out is ok, too.

We love to see pictures and hear stories of people out enjoying nature, being active and taking on big challenges and inspiring others. What is life if you’re not inspired?

However, sometimes, the pressure or need to be active can be a bit overwhelming. Especially when you look at what everyone else seems to be doing, all the time. I’ve felt it myself. For some reason, I’ll occasionally experience phases of relatively low energy. I’ll go out for a run and then stop halfway, or run around my local off-road circuit and do three laps instead of the usual eight, and wonder if 15 minutes of running was even worth breaking a sweat for.

The reasons can vary – maybe you’ve not had enough sleep that week/day. Perhaps you’re fighting a cold, or been doing too much training. Maybe it’s that time of the month!

So, I wanted to share that it’s ok to chill. I know it is, but sometimes I need a reminder of this, and for the message reinforced: that it’s ok not to run several times a week, taking a week or a couple of weeks off running is ok too if that’s what you need, or that you can do an easy run instead of speedwork and that’s not the end of the world!

I find it easy to be hard on myself – so many of us like to put pressure on ourselves to achieve – so I am writing this for those of you who are perhaps being hard on yourselves right now.

Guilt-free chilling

I think this is the key. What would you be guilty of, anyway? If I’m going to chill out, I will focus on doing things that make me feel better. This could be anything from catching up on sleep, listening to podcasts, spending time with Alastair and our cats, writing for this blog, or treating myself to a tasty meal! These are all things I love to do, as well as running trails.

We love to see pictures and hear stories of people out enjoying nature, being active and taking on big challenges and inspiring others. What is life if you’re not inspired? However, sometimes, the pressure or need to be active can be a bit overwhelming.

Other suggestions for productive chill-out time at home:

Research cool places to visit or races to run – just because you’re not feeling ‘it’ right now, doesn’t mean you can’t whet your appetite for another day when you do.

Read a motivational book – I love reading biographies and books by great business-people, athletes and adventurers. They don’t always make me want to follow in their footsteps, but they will undoubtedly include some interesting (and apparently true) stories. Here is a list of books that we have put together based on the books we love, and the books our readers have recommended too.

Watch an interesting film – I love documentaries, probably for the same reason I like biographies. While it’s sometimes hard to extract what is 100% fact, they give you food for thought at least. Pardon the pun – the last film I watched was a good one, ‘In Defense of Food’, which is available on Netflix.

Make an easy healthy meal – I’m not one for cooking, but I love buying loads of gorgeous fresh ingredients to make into a big salad bowl and trying to make it as colourful and vibrant as possible – especially if it’s a grey/rainy day outside. Instant summer!

Clear out the clutter – it’s a bit more active but oh-so satisfying. We’ve minimised all our possessions from the wardrobe, bathroom cabinet to the garage, and know where pretty much everything is. It takes a big weight off your mind not having a big accumulation of ‘stuff’ to look after and store – highly recommended!

In summary

I hope this helps show it’s ok to chill every now and again, if your mind and/or body need that time, then listen to them 🙂 Please share any other suggestions for productive chill-time in the comments below, we’d love to hear them!